Systems and Methods for Inspecting and Monitoring a Pipeline

ABSTRACT

An example method includes introducing a movable inline inspection device into a pipeline, the movable inline inspection device having a housing that defines a conduit therein which provides fluid communication through the movable inline inspection device in the form of a bypass fluid, the conduit having one or more optical computing devices arranged thereon for monitoring the bypass fluid, wherein each optical computing device has at least one integrated computational element arranged therein, generating an output signal corresponding to a characteristic of the bypass fluid with at least one detector arranged within each optical computing device, receiving the output signal from each optical computing device with a signal processor communicably coupled to the at least one detector of each optical computing device, and determining with the signal processor the characteristic of the bypass fluid detected by each optical computing device.

BACKGROUND

The present invention relates to optical analysis systems and, inparticular, systems and methods that employ optical analysis systems toinspect and monitor the internals of a pipeline.

In the oil and gas industry, a tool known as a “pig” refers to any of avariety of movable inline inspection devices that are introduced intoand conveyed (e.g., pumped, pushed, pulled, self-propelled, etc.)through a pipeline or a flow line. Pigs often serve various basicfunctions while traversing the pipeline, including cleaning the pipelineto ensure unobstructed fluid flow and separating different fluidsflowing through the pipeline. Modern pigs, however, can be highlysophisticated instruments that include electronics and sensors employedto collect various forms of data during the trip through the pipeline.Such pigs, often referred to as smart pigs or inline inspection pigs,can be configured to inspect the internals or interior of the pipeline,and capture and record specific geometric information relating to thesizing and positioning of the pipeline at any given point along thelength thereof. Smart pigs can also be configured to determine pipe wallthickness and pipe joint weld integrity with the appropriate sensingequipment.

Smart pigs, which are also referred to as inline inspection tools,typically use technologies such as magnetic flux leakage (MFL) andelectromagnetic acoustic transducers to detect surface pitting,corrosion, cracks, and weld defects in steel/ferrous pipelines. Acousticresonance technology and ultrasonics have also been employed to detectvarious aspects and defects of a pipeline. After a pigging run has beencompleted, positional data recorded from various external sensors iscombined with the pipeline evaluation data (corrosion, cracks, etc.)derived from the pig to generate a location-specific defect map andcharacterization. The combined data is useful in determining the generallocation, type, and size of various types of pipe defects. The data canalso be used to judge the severity of the defects and help repair crewslocate and repair the defects.

While conventional smart pigs are generally able to locate variouspipeline defects, they are, for the most part, unable to provideadequate reasons as to why the particular defect is occurring or hasoccurred. For instance, pipeline corrosion can develop for a myriad ofreasons, including the presence of acids or other caustic substances andchemicals flowing within the pipeline. Knowing “why” the corrosion orother event is occurring, may prove advantageous to an operator instopping or otherwise reversing the corrosive effects.

Also, conventional smart pigs are largely unable to efficiently monitorthe formation of both organic and inorganic deposits detected inpipelines and flow lines. Typically, the analysis of such deposits isconducted off-line using laboratory analyses, such as spectroscopicand/or wet chemical methods, which analyze an extracted sample of thefluid. Although off-line, retrospective analyses can be satisfactory incertain cases, but they nonetheless do not allow real-time or nearreal-time analysis capabilities but instead often require hours to daysto complete the analysis. During the lag time between collection andanalysis, the characteristics of the extracted sample of the chemicalcomposition oftentimes changes, thereby making the properties of thesample non-indicative of the true chemical composition orcharacteristic. Efficiently and accurately identifying organic andinorganic deposits in pipelines could prove advantageous to pipelineoperators in mitigating costly corrective action. Moreover, accuratelyidentifying the concentration of such deposit buildups in pipelines mayprovide valuable information on the effectiveness of treatments designedto counteract the deposits.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to optical analysis systems and, inparticular, systems and methods that employ optical analysis systems toinspect and monitor the internals of a pipeline.

In one aspect of the disclosure, a system for monitoring a pipeline isdisclosed. The system may include a movable inline inspection devicearranged within the pipeline and having a housing that defines a conduittherein, the conduit providing fluid communication through the movableinline inspection device, one or more optical computing devices arrangedon the conduit for monitoring a bypass fluid flowing through theconduit, the one or more optical computing devices comprising, at leastone integrated computational element configured to optically interactwith the bypass fluid and thereby generate optically interacted light,and at least one detector arranged to receive the optically interactedlight and generate an output signal corresponding to a characteristic ofthe bypass fluid. The system may also include a signal processorcommunicably coupled to the at least one detector of each opticalcomputing device for receiving the output signal of each opticalcomputing device, the signal processor being configured to determine thecharacteristic of the fluid as detected by each optical computing deviceand provide a resulting output signal indicative of the characteristicof the bypass fluid.

In another aspect of the disclosure, a method of monitoring a pipelineis disclosed. The method may include introducing a movable inlineinspection device into the pipeline, the movable inline inspectiondevice having a housing that defines a conduit therein which providesfluid communication through the movable inline inspection device in theform of a bypass fluid, the conduit having one or more optical computingdevices arranged thereon for monitoring the bypass fluid, wherein eachoptical computing device has at least one integrated computationalelement arranged therein, generating an output signal corresponding to acharacteristic of the bypass fluid with at least one detector arrangedwithin each optical computing device, receiving the output signal fromeach optical computing device with a signal processor communicablycoupled to the at least one detector of each optical computing device,and determining with the signal processor the characteristic of thebypass fluid detected by each optical computing device.

The features and advantages of the present invention will be readilyapparent to those skilled in the art upon a reading of the descriptionof the preferred embodiments that follows.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The following figures are included to illustrate certain aspects of thepresent invention, and should not be viewed as exclusive embodiments.The subject matter disclosed is capable of considerable modifications,alterations, combinations, and equivalents in form and function, as willoccur to those skilled in the art and having the benefit of thisdisclosure.

FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary integrated computation element,according to one or more embodiments.

FIG. 2 illustrates a block diagram non-mechanistically illustrating howan optical computing device distinguishes electromagnetic radiationrelated to a characteristic of interest from other electromagneticradiation, according to one or more embodiments.

FIGS. 3A-3D illustrate exemplary systems for monitoring the internals ofa pipeline, according to one or more embodiments.

FIG. 4 illustrates an exemplary optical computing device, according toone or more embodiments.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The present invention relates to optical analysis systems and, inparticular, to systems and methods that employ optical analysis systemsto inspect and monitor the internals of a pipeline.

The exemplary systems and methods described herein employ variousconfigurations of optical computing devices, also commonly referred toas “opticoanalytical devices,” for the inspection and monitoring of theinternals of a pipeline, including the inner radial surface of thepipeline and the fluid flowing therein. The optical computing devicesmay be arranged or otherwise installed on a movable inline inspectiondevice, also known as a “pig”. A significant and distinct advantage ofthe disclosed optical computing devices, which are described in moredetail below, is that they can be configured to specifically detectand/or measure a particular component or characteristic of interest of achemical composition or other substance, thereby allowing qualitativeand/or quantitative analyses of pipeline substances to occur withouthaving to extract a sample and undertake time-consuming analyses of thesample at an off-site laboratory. As a result, the optical computingdevices can advantageously provide real-time or near real-timemonitoring of the pipeline internals that cannot presently be achievedwith either onsite analyses at a job site or via more detailed analysesthat take place in a laboratory.

In operation, for example, the optical computing devices as installed ona movable inline inspection device may be useful and otherwiseadvantageous in scanning and chemically mapping the internals of apipeline wall and also monitoring the fluids flowing within thepipeline. In other aspects the optical computing devices as installed onthe movable inline inspection device may further be useful and otherwiseadvantageous in monitoring chemical reactions occurring within thepipeline, monitoring the effectiveness of a maintenance operationconducted within the pipeline, detecting substances at all points aroundand flowing through the movable inline inspection device, determiningthe speed and distance of the movable inline inspection device withinthe pipeline, detecting pipeline welds and their chemical compositions,inspecting the internal coating(s) of the pipeline, detecting corrosionand/or the severity of metal loss in the pipeline, combinations thereof,and many other applications as will be appreciated by those skilled inthe art. With the ability to undertake real-time or near real-timechemical composition analyses, the disclosed systems and methods mayprovide some measure of proactive or responsive control over a fluidflow within the pipeline or a maintenance operation being undertakentherein. The systems and methods may further inform a pipeline owner oroperator as to the exact location and cause of a pipeline defect, enablethe collection and archival of fluid information in conjunction withoperational information to optimize subsequent operations, and/orenhance the capacity for remote job execution.

Those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that the disclosedsystems and methods may be suitable for use in the oil and gas industrysince the described optical computing devices provide a cost-effective,rugged, and accurate means for inspecting and monitoring the internalsof a pipeline used to convey or otherwise transport hydrocarbons. Itwill be appreciated, however, that the systems and methods describedherein are equally applicable to other technology fields including, butnot limited to, the food industry, the medicinal and drug industry,various industrial applications, heavy machinery industries, miningindustries, or any field where it may be advantageous to inspect andmonitor in real-time or near real-time the internals of a pipeline,tubes or other type of flow line. For example, installing the disclosedoptical computing devices on a movable inline inspection device mayprove useful in inspecting and monitoring the internals of potable waterlines or sewer lines and related piping structures.

As used herein, the term “fluid” refers to any substance that is capableof flowing, including particulate solids, liquids, gases, slurries,emulsions, powders, muds, glasses, combinations thereof, and the like.In some embodiments, the fluid can be an aqueous fluid, including water,such as seawater, fresh water, potable water, drinking water, or thelike. In some embodiments, the fluid can be a non-aqueous fluid,including organic compounds, more specifically, hydrocarbons, oil, arefined component of oil, petrochemical products, and the like. In someembodiments, the fluid can be a treatment fluid or a subterraneanformation fluid. Fluids can also include various flowable mixtures ofsolids, liquids and/or gases. Illustrative gases that can be consideredfluids, according to the present embodiments, include, for example, air,nitrogen, carbon dioxide, argon, helium, methane, ethane, butane, andother hydrocarbon gases, combinations thereof, and/or the like.

As used herein, the term “characteristic” refers to a chemical,mechanical, or physical property of a substance or material. Acharacteristic of a substance may include a quantitative value or aconcentration of one or more chemical components present within thesubstance. Such chemical components may be referred to herein as“analytes.” Illustrative characteristics of a substance that can bemonitored with the optical computing devices disclosed herein caninclude, for example, chemical composition (e.g., identity andconcentration in total or of individual components), impurity content,pH, viscosity, density, ionic strength, total dissolved solids, saltcontent, porosity, opacity, bacteria content, combinations thereof, andthe like.

As used herein, the term “electromagnetic radiation” refers to radiowaves, microwave radiation, infrared and near-infrared radiation,visible light, ultraviolet light, X-ray radiation and gamma rayradiation.

As used herein, the term “optical computing device” refers to an opticaldevice that is configured to receive an input of electromagneticradiation from a substance or a sample of the substance, and produce anoutput of electromagnetic radiation from a processing element arrangedwithin the optical computing device. The processing element may be, forexample, an integrated computational element (ICE) used in the opticalcomputing device. As discussed in greater detail below, theelectromagnetic radiation that optically interacts with the processingelement is changed so as to be readable by a detector, such that anoutput of the detector can be correlated to at least one characteristicof the substance being measured or monitored. The output ofelectromagnetic radiation from the processing element can be reflectedelectromagnetic radiation, transmitted electromagnetic radiation, and/ordispersed electromagnetic radiation. Whether the detector analyzesreflected or transmitted electromagnetic radiation may be dictated bythe structural parameters of the optical computing device as well asother considerations known to those skilled in the art. In addition,emission and/or scattering of the substance, for example viafluorescence, luminescence, Raman scattering, and/or Raleigh scattering,can also be monitored by the optical computing devices.

As used herein, the term “optically interact” or variations thereofrefers to the reflection, transmission, scattering, diffraction, orabsorption of electromagnetic radiation either on, through, or from oneor more processing elements (i.e., integrated computational elements).Accordingly, optically interacted light refers to electromagneticradiation that has been reflected, transmitted, scattered, diffracted,or absorbed by, emitted, or re-radiated, for example, using theintegrated computational elements, but may also apply to interactionwith a fluid or any other substance.

As used herein, the term “substance,” or variations thereof, refers toat least a portion of a matter or material of interest to be evaluatedusing the described optical computing devices described herein asinstalled or otherwise arranged on a movable inline inspection device.In some embodiments, the substance is the characteristic of interest, asdefined above, and may include any integral component of a pipeline or afluid flowing within the pipeline, but may equally refer to any solidmaterial or chemical composition. For example, the substance may includecompounds containing elements such as barium, calcium, manganese,sulfur, sulfates, iron, strontium, chlorine, mercury, etc., and anyother chemical composition that can lead to precipitation within apipeline. The substance may also refer to paraffins (e.g., low molecularweight (M) n-alkanes (C₂₀-C₄₀) to high proportion of high Miso-alkanes), waxes, asphaltenes, aromatics, saturates foams, salts,dissolved mineral salts (i.e., associated with produced brines andscaling potential), particulates, sand or other solid particles, etc.,and any other chemical composition that can lead to the formation ofdeposits within a pipeline. In some aspects, the substance refers towelds within a pipeline, or bacteria that tends to congregate in suchwelds. In yet other aspects, the substance may refer to pipelinecoatings and the pipeline material itself.

In other aspects, the substance may include any material or chemicalcomposition added to the pipeline in order to treat the pipeline forhydrates or the build up of one or more organic or inorganic deposits.Exemplary treatment substances may include, but are not limited to,acids, acid-generating compounds, bases, base-generating compounds,biocides, surfactants, scale inhibitors, corrosion inhibitors, gellingagents, crosslinking agents, anti-sludging agents, foaming agents,defoaming agents, antifoam agents, emulsifying agents, de-emulsifyingagents, iron control agents, proppants or other particulates, gravel,particulate diverters, salts, fluid loss control additives, gases,catalysts, clay control agents, chelating agents, corrosion inhibitors,dispersants, flocculants, scavengers (e.g., H₂S scavengers, CO₂scavengers or O₂ scavengers), lubricants, breakers, delayed releasebreakers, friction reducers, bridging agents, viscosifiers, weightingagents, solubilizers, rheology control agents, viscosity modifiers, pHcontrol agents (e.g., buffers), hydrate inhibitors, relativepermeability modifiers, diverting agents, consolidating agents, fibrousmaterials, bactericides, tracers, probes, nanoparticles, and the like.Combinations of these substances can be referred to as a substance aswell.

As used herein, the term “sample,” or variations thereof, refers to atleast a portion of a substance or chemical composition of interest to betested or otherwise evaluated using the described optical computingdevice(s) as installed or otherwise arranged on a movable inlineinspection device. The sample includes the characteristic of interest,as defined above, and may be any fluid, as defined herein, or otherwiseany solid substance or material such as, but not limited to, welds orthe inner wall of a pipeline.

As used herein, the term “pipeline” includes any conduit in which afluid is moved, including any onshore or offshore flow system, such asmainline systems, risers, flow lines used to transport untreated fluidbetween a wellhead and a processing facility, and flow lines used totransport hydrocarbon products. It should be understood that the use ofthe term “pipeline” is not necessarily limited to hydrocarbon pipelinesunless otherwise denoted or required by a specific embodiment.

The exemplary systems and methods described herein will include at leastone optical computing device used for near or real-time inspection andmonitoring of the internals of a pipeline, and in particular one or morechemical compositions or substances present within the pipeline. Theoptical computing device may include an electromagnetic radiationsource, at least one processing element (e.g., integrated computationalelements), and at least one detector arranged to receive opticallyinteracted light from the at least one processing element. As disclosedbelow, however, in some embodiments the electromagnetic radiation sourcemay be omitted from the optical computing device and instead theelectromagnetic radiation may be derived from the chemical compositionor substance being monitored. In some embodiments, the exemplary opticalcomputing devices may be specifically configured for detecting,analyzing, and quantitatively measuring a particular characteristic oranalyte of interest of the chemical composition or substance. In otherembodiments, the optical computing devices may be general purposeoptical devices, with post-acquisition processing (e.g., throughcomputer means) being used to specifically detect the characteristic ofinterest.

In some embodiments, suitable structural components for the exemplaryoptical computing devices are described in commonly owned U.S. Pat. Nos.6,198,531; 6,529,276; 7,123,844; 7,834,999; 7,911,605; 7,920,258; and8,049,881, each of which is incorporated herein by reference in itsentirety, and U.S. patent application Ser. Nos. 12/094,460; 12/094,465;and 13/456,467, each of which is also incorporated herein by referencein its entirety. As will be appreciated, variations of the structuralcomponents of the optical computing devices described in theabove-referenced patents and patent applications may be suitable,without departing from the scope of the disclosure, and therefore,should not be considered limiting to the various embodiments disclosedherein.

The optical computing devices described in the foregoing patents andpatent applications combine the advantage of the power, precision andaccuracy associated with laboratory spectrometers, while being extremelyrugged and suitable for field use. Furthermore, the optical computingdevices can perform calculations (analyses) in real-time or nearreal-time without the need for time-consuming sample extraction andprocessing. In this regard, the optical computing devices can bespecifically configured to detect and analyze particular characteristicsand/or analytes of interest of a chemical composition, such as asubstance present within a pipeline or disposed on the surface of thepipeline. As a result, interfering signals are discriminated from thoseof interest in the substance by appropriate configuration of the opticalcomputing devices, such that the optical computing devices provide arapid response regarding the characteristic(s) of interest based on thedetected output. In some embodiments, the detected output can beconverted into a voltage that is distinctive of the magnitude orconcentration of the characteristic being monitored. The foregoingadvantages and others make the described optical computing devicesparticularly well suited for hydrocarbon processing and downhole use,but may equally be applied to several other technologies or industries,without departing from the scope of the disclosure.

The optical computing devices arranged on or otherwise coupled to themovable inline inspection device can be configured to detect not onlythe composition and concentrations of a sample fluid or substance foundwithin a pipeline, but they also can be configured to determine physicalproperties and other characteristics of the sample fluid or substance aswell, based on an analysis of the electromagnetic radiation receivedtherefrom. For example, the optical computing devices can be configuredto determine the concentration of an analyte and correlate thedetermined concentration to a characteristic of a substance by usingsuitable processing means. As will be appreciated, the optical computingdevices may be configured to detect as many substances or as manycharacteristics or analytes of the substance as desired. All that isrequired to accomplish the monitoring of multiple characteristics is theincorporation of suitable processing and detection means within theoptical computing device for each substance of interest. In someembodiments, the properties of the substance can be a combination of theproperties of the analytes detected therein (e.g., a linear, non-linear,logarithmic, and/or exponential combination). Accordingly, the morecharacteristics and analytes that are detected and analyzed using theoptical computing devices, the more accurately the properties of thegiven substance will be determined.

The optical computing devices described herein utilize electromagneticradiation to perform calculations, as opposed to the hardwired circuitsof conventional electronic processors. When electromagnetic radiationinteracts with a substance, unique physical and chemical informationabout the substance may be encoded in the electromagnetic radiation thatis reflected from, transmitted through, or radiated from the substance.This information is often referred to as the spectral “fingerprint” ofthe substance. The optical computing devices described herein arecapable of extracting the information of the spectral fingerprint ofmultiple characteristics or analytes, and converting that informationinto a detectable output regarding the overall properties of thesubstance. That is, through suitable configurations of the opticalcomputing devices, electromagnetic radiation associated with acharacteristic or analyte of interest of a substance can be separatedfrom electromagnetic radiation associated with all other components ofthe substance in order to estimate the properties of the substance inreal-time or near real-time.

As stated above, the processing elements used in the exemplary opticalcomputing devices described herein may be characterized as integratedcomputational elements (ICE). Each ICE is capable of distinguishingelectromagnetic radiation related to a characteristic of interestcorresponding to a substance from electromagnetic radiation related toother components of the substance. Referring to FIG. 1, illustrated isan exemplary ICE 100 suitable for use in the optical computing devicesthat may be coupled to or otherwise attached to a movable inlineinspection device. As illustrated, the ICE 100 may include a pluralityof alternating layers 102 and 104, such as silicon (Si) and SiO₂(quartz), respectively. In general, these layers 102, 104 consist ofmaterials whose index of refraction is high and low, respectively. Otherexamples might include niobia and niobium, germanium and germania, MgF,SiO, and other high and low index materials known in the art. The layers102, 104 may be strategically deposited on an optical substrate 106. Insome embodiments, the optical substrate 106 is BK-7 optical glass. Inother embodiments, the optical substrate 106 may be another type ofoptical substrate, such as quartz, sapphire, silicon, germanium, zincselenide, zinc sulfide, or various plastics such as polycarbonate,polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA), polyvinylchloride (PVC), diamond,ceramics, combinations thereof, and the like.

At the opposite end (e.g., opposite the optical substrate 106 in FIG.1), the ICE 100 may include a layer 108 that is generally exposed to theenvironment of the device or installation. The number of layers 102, 104and the thickness of each layer 102, 104 are determined from thespectral attributes acquired from a spectroscopic analysis of acharacteristic of interest using a conventional spectroscopicinstrument. The spectrum of interest of a given characteristic ofinterest typically includes any number of different wavelengths. Itshould be understood that the exemplary ICE 100 in FIG. 1 does not infact represent any particular characteristic of interest, but isprovided for purposes of illustration only. Consequently, the number oflayers 102, 104 and their relative thicknesses, as shown in FIG. 1, bearno correlation to any particular characteristic of interest. Nor are thelayers 102, 104 and their relative thicknesses necessarily drawn toscale, and therefore should not be considered limiting of the presentdisclosure. Moreover, those skilled in the art will readily recognizethat the materials that make up each layer 102, 104 (i.e., Si and SiO₂)may vary, depending on the application, cost of materials, and/orapplicability of the materials to the substance being monitored.

In some embodiments, the material of each layer 102, 104 can be doped ortwo or more materials can be combined in a manner to achieve the desiredoptical characteristic. In addition to solids, the exemplary ICE 100 mayalso contain liquids and/or gases, optionally in combination withsolids, in order to produce a desired optical characteristic. In thecase of gases and liquids, the ICE 100 can contain a correspondingvessel (not shown), which houses the gases or liquids. Exemplaryvariations of the ICE 100 may also include holographic optical elements,gratings, piezoelectric, light pipe, digital light pipe (DLP), and/oracousto-optic elements, for example, that can create transmission,reflection, and/or absorptive properties of interest.

The multiple layers 102, 104 exhibit different refractive indices. Byproperly selecting the materials of the layers 102, 104 and theirrelative thickness and spacing, the ICE 100 may be configured toselectively pass/reflect/refract predetermined fractions ofelectromagnetic radiation at different wavelengths. Each wavelength isgiven a predetermined weighting or loading factor. The thickness andspacing of the layers 102, 104 may be determined using a variety ofapproximation methods from the spectrograph of the characteristic oranalyte of interest. These methods may include inverse Fourier transform(IFT) of the optical transmission spectrum and structuring the ICE 100as the physical representation of the IFT. The approximations convertthe IFT into a structure based on known materials with constantrefractive indices. Further information regarding the structures anddesign of exemplary integrated computational elements (also referred toas multivariate optical elements) is provided in Applied Optics, Vol.35, pp. 5484-5492 (1996) and Vol. 129, pp. 2876-2893, which is herebyincorporated by reference.

The weightings that the layers 102, 104 of the ICE 100 apply at eachwavelength are set to the regression weightings described with respectto a known equation, or data, or spectral signature. Briefly, the ICE100 may be configured to perform the dot product of the input light beaminto the ICE 100 and a desired loaded regression vector represented byeach layer 102, 104 for each wavelength. As a result, the output lightintensity of the ICE 100 is related to the characteristic or analyte ofinterest. Further details regarding how the exemplary ICE 100 is able todistinguish and process electromagnetic radiation related to thecharacteristic or analyte of interest are described in U.S. Pat. Nos.6,198,531; 6,529,276; and 7,920,258, previously incorporated herein byreference.

Referring now to FIG. 2, illustrated is a block diagram thatnon-mechanistically illustrates how an optical computing device 200 isable to distinguish electromagnetic radiation related to acharacteristic of interest from other electromagnetic radiation. Asshown in FIG. 2, after being illuminated with incident electromagneticradiation, a substance 202 produces an output of electromagneticradiation (e.g., sample-interacted light), some of which iselectromagnetic radiation 204 corresponding to the characteristic ofinterest and some of which is background electromagnetic radiation 206corresponding to other components or characteristics of the substance202. In some embodiments, the substance 202 may be a fluid, but in otherembodiments may be a solid material, as defined herein.

Although not specifically shown, one or more spectral elements may beemployed in the device 200 in order to restrict the optical wavelengthsand/or bandwidths of the system and thereby eliminate unwantedelectromagnetic radiation existing in wavelength regions that have noimportance. Such spectral elements can be located anywhere along theoptical train, but are typically employed directly after the lightsource (if present), which provides the initial electromagneticradiation. Various configurations and applications of spectral elementsin optical computing devices may be found in commonly owned U.S. Pat.Nos. 6,198,531; 6,529,276; 7,123,844; 7,834,999; 7,911,605; 7,920,258;8,049,881 and U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/094,460 (U.S. Pat.App. Pub. No. 2009/0219538); Ser. No. 12/094,465 (U.S. Pat. App. Pub.No. 2009/0219539); and Ser. No. 13/456,467, incorporated herein byreference, as indicated above.

The beams of electromagnetic radiation 204, 206 impinge upon anexemplary ICE 208 arranged within the optical computing device 200. TheICE 208 may be similar to the ICE 100 of FIG. 1, and therefore will notbe described again in detail. In the illustrated embodiment, the ICE 208may be configured to produce optically interacted light, for example,transmitted optically interacted light 210 and reflected opticallyinteracted light 214. In operation, the ICE 208 may be configured todistinguish the electromagnetic radiation 204 from the backgroundelectromagnetic radiation 206.

The transmitted optically interacted light 210, which may be related toa characteristic of interest in the substance 202, may be conveyed to adetector 212 for analysis and quantification. In some embodiments, thedetector 212 is configured to produce an output signal in the form of avoltage that corresponds to the particular characteristic of interest inthe substance 202. In at least one embodiment, the signal produced bythe detector 212 and the concentration of the characteristic of interestmay be directly proportional. In other embodiments, the relationship maybe a polynomial function, an exponential function, and/or a logarithmicfunction. The reflected optically interacted light 214, which may berelated to characteristics of other components and chemical compositionsof the substance 202, can be directed away from detector 212. Inalternative configurations, the ICE 208 may be configured such that thereflected optically interacted light 214 can be related to thecharacteristic of interest, and the transmitted optically interactedlight 210 can be related to other chemical compositions and/orcomponents of the substance 202.

In some embodiments, a second detector 216 can be included in theoptical computing device 200 and arranged to detect the reflectedoptically interacted light 214. In other embodiments, the seconddetector 216 may be arranged to detect the electromagnetic radiation204, 206 derived from the substance 202 or electromagnetic radiationdirected toward or before the substance 202. Without limitation, thesecond detector 216 may be used to detect radiating deviations stemmingfrom an electromagnetic radiation source (not shown), which provides theelectromagnetic radiation (i.e., light) to the device 200. For example,radiating deviations can include such things as, but not limited to,intensity fluctuations in the electromagnetic radiation, interferentfluctuations (e.g., dust or other interferents passing in front of theelectromagnetic radiation source), coatings on windows included with theoptical computing device 200, combinations thereof, or the like. In someembodiments, a beam splitter (not shown) can be employed to split theelectromagnetic radiation 204, 206, and the transmitted or reflectedelectromagnetic radiation can then be directed to one or more ICE 208.That is, in such embodiments, the ICE 208 does not function as a type ofbeam splitter, as depicted in FIG. 2, and the transmitted or reflectedelectromagnetic radiation simply passes through the ICE 208, beingcomputationally processed therein, before travelling to or otherwisebeing detected by the second detector 212.

The characteristic(s) of interest being analyzed using the opticalcomputing device 200 can be further processed computationally to provideadditional characterization information about the substance 202. In someembodiments, the identification and concentration of each analyte ofinterest in the substance 202 can be used to predict certain physicalcharacteristics of the substance 202. For example, the bulkcharacteristics of the substance 202 can be estimated by using acombination of the properties conferred to the substance 202 by eachanalyte.

In some embodiments, the concentration or magnitude of thecharacteristic of interest determined using the optical computing device200 can be fed into an algorithm operating under computer control. Thealgorithm may be configured to make predictions on how thecharacteristics of the substance 202 would change if the concentrationsof the characteristic of interest are changed relative to one another.In some embodiments, the algorithm can produce an output that isreadable by an operator for consideration. For example, based on theoutput, the operator may want to undertake some remedial action toremedy, reduce, or otherwise prevent the future detection of a monitoredsubstance. In other embodiments, the algorithm can be programmed to takeproactive process control by automatically initiating a remedial effortwhen a predetermined toxicity or impurity level of the substance isreported or otherwise detected.

The algorithm can be part of an artificial neural network configured touse the concentration of each characteristic of interest in order toevaluate the overall characteristic(s) of the substance 202 and therebydetermine when a predetermined toxicity or impurity level has beenreached or otherwise surpassed. Illustrative but non-limiting artificialneural networks are described in commonly owned U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 11/986,763 (U.S. Patent App. Pub. No. 2009/0182693), which isincorporated herein by reference. It is to be recognized that anartificial neural network can be trained using samples of predeterminedcharacteristics of interest having known concentrations, compositions,and/or properties, and thereby generating a virtual library. As thevirtual library available to the artificial neural network becomeslarger, the neural network can become more capable of accuratelypredicting the characteristic of interest corresponding to a samplefluid or other substance having any number of analytes present therein.Furthermore, with sufficient training, the artificial neural network canmore accurately predict the characteristics of the sample fluid orsubstance, even in the presence of unknown substances.

It is recognized that the various embodiments herein directed tocomputer control and artificial neural networks, including variousblocks, modules, elements, components, methods, and algorithms, can beimplemented using computer hardware, software, combinations thereof, andthe like. To illustrate this interchangeability of hardware andsoftware, various illustrative blocks, modules, elements, components,methods and algorithms have been described generally in terms of theirfunctionality. Whether such functionality is implemented as hardware orsoftware will depend upon the particular application and any imposeddesign constraints. For at least this reason, it is to be recognizedthat one of ordinary skill in the art can implement the describedfunctionality in a variety of ways for a particular application.Further, various components and blocks can be arranged in a differentorder or partitioned differently, for example, without departing fromthe scope of the embodiments expressly described.

Computer hardware used to implement the various illustrative blocks,modules, elements, components, methods, and algorithms described hereincan include a processor configured to execute one or more sequences ofinstructions, programming stances, or code stored on a non-transitory,computer-readable medium. The processor can be, for example, a generalpurpose microprocessor, a microcontroller, a digital signal processor,an application specific integrated circuit, a field programmable gatearray, a programmable logic device, a controller, a state machine, agated logic, discrete hardware components, an artificial neural network,or any like suitable entity that can perform calculations or othermanipulations of data. In some embodiments, computer hardware canfurther include elements such as, for example, a memory (e.g., randomaccess memory (RAM), flash memory, read only memory (ROM), programmableread only memory (PROM), erasable read only memory (EPROM)), registers,hard disks, removable disks, CD-ROMS, DVDs, or any other like suitablestorage device or medium.

Executable sequences described herein can be implemented with one ormore sequences of code contained in a memory. In some embodiments, suchcode can be read into the memory from another machine-readable medium.Execution of the sequences of instructions contained in the memory cancause a processor to perform the process steps described herein. One ormore processors in a multi-processing arrangement can also be employedto execute instruction sequences in the memory. In addition, hard-wiredcircuitry can be used in place of or in combination with softwareinstructions to implement various embodiments described herein. Thus,the present embodiments are not limited to any specific combination ofhardware and/or software.

As used herein, a machine-readable medium will refer to any medium thatdirectly or indirectly provides instructions to a processor forexecution. A machine-readable medium can take on many forms including,for example, non-volatile media, volatile media, and transmission media.Non-volatile media can include, for example, optical and magnetic disks.Volatile media can include, for example, dynamic memory. Transmissionmedia can include, for example, coaxial cables, wire, fiber optics, andwires that form a bus. Common forms of machine-readable media caninclude, for example, floppy disks, flexible disks, hard disks, magnetictapes, other like magnetic media, CD-ROMs, DVDs, other like opticalmedia, punch cards, paper tapes and like physical media with patternedholes, RAM, ROM, PROM, EPROM and flash EPROM.

In some embodiments, the data collected using the optical computingdevices can be archived along with data associated with operationalparameters being logged at a job site. Evaluation of job performance canthen be assessed and improved for future operations or such informationcan be used to design subsequent operations. In addition, the data andinformation can be communicated (wired or wirelessly) to a remotelocation by a communication system (e.g., satellite communication orwide area network communication) for further analysis. The communicationsystem can also allow remote monitoring and operation of a process totake place. Automated control with a long-range communication system canfurther facilitate the performance of remote job operations. Inparticular, an artificial neural network can be used in some embodimentsto facilitate the performance of remote job operations. That is, remotejob operations can be conducted automatically in some embodiments. Inother embodiments, however, remote job operations can occur under directoperator control, where the operator is not at the job site but able toaccess the job site via wireless communication.

Referring now to FIGS. 3A-3D, illustrated are various embodiments of anexemplary system 300 for inspecting and monitoring the internals of apipeline 302. Specifically, the system 300 may be used to detect acharacteristic of a substance found or otherwise present within thepipeline 302. In some embodiments, the substance may be located on thepipeline 302 itself, such as on an inner radial surface 304 thereof, andmay include, but is not limited to, wall coatings, organic and/orinorganic deposits, iron oxides, sulfates, chlorides, surface depositionbacteria (i.e., aerobic and sulfur-reducing bacteria), sulfates, waxdeposition, asphaltenes, plated lead, water, brines, combinationsthereof, and the like. In other embodiments, the substance may bepresent in the fluid 306 flowing within the pipeline 302 such as, butnot limited to, a particular chemical composition, a hazardoussubstance, a contaminant, hydrates, a chemical reaction, radium (i.e.,for gas applications), corrosive or corrosion compounds, corrosioninhibitors, various tags that may assist to identify or illuminatecompounds of interest, combinations thereof, and the like.

The system 300 may include a movable inline inspection device 308 asarranged within the pipeline 302. In some embodiments, the movableinline inspection device 308 may be a pipeline “pig,” as known in theart. In other embodiments, however, the movable inline inspection device308 may be any inspection mechanism capable of being pumped or otherwisemoved through a pipeline 302 for the purpose of inspecting andmonitoring the internals of the pipeline 302, including the fluid 306therein. In at least one embodiment, for example the inline inspectiondevice 308 may be a tethered device that is pulled through the pipeline302 or a section of the pipeline 302. In other embodiments, the movableinline inspection device 308 may be self-propelled or may be a foam“pig,” without departing from the scope of the disclosure. Theparticular type and design of movable inline inspection device 308 to beused may depend on several factors such as the type and volume of thefluid 306 within the pipeline 304 and the specific purpose of using themovable inline inspection device 308.

As depicted, the movable inline inspection device 308 may have agenerally cylindrical housing 310. In other embodiments, the housing 310may have a square cross-section or any other geometric shape, withoutdeparting from the scope of the disclosure. One or more drive discs 312may be coupled to or otherwise arranged at each end of the housing 310.In other embodiments, the drive discs 312 may also be known as orreferred to as piston seals, seal elements, or seal discs, as recognizedby those skilled in the art. The drive discs 312 may be generallycircular, having an outer circumference or periphery configured to forma close or interference fit with the inner radial surface 304 of thepipeline 302.

In one or more embodiments, the drive discs 312 may be formed ofpolyurethane, but may also be made of nylon, polyoxymethylene (POM,i.e., DELRIN®), polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE, i.e., TEFLON®),elastomers (e.g., rubber) combinations thereof, or the like. The drivediscs 312 may be flexible and compressible, so that they are able toform an essentially fluid tight seal with the inner radial surface 304of the pipeline 302, but will simultaneously be configured to flex sothat the movable inline inspection device 308 may be moved through thepipeline 302 without excessive frictional resistance. In someembodiments, the drive discs 312 may also provide a cleaning function bymechanically removing contaminants or other deposits formed on the innerradial 304 surface of the pipeline 302 as the movable inline inspectiondevice 308 moves therethrough. In yet other embodiments, the drive discs312 may be designed not to fully seal the pipeline 302, but may beconfigured to allow fluid to bypass the inline inspection device 308,without departing from the scope of the disclosure.

Those skilled in the art will readily recognize that while two drivediscs 312 are depicted at each end of the housing 310, the actual numberof drive discs 312 in any given embodiment may be more or less than two,depending on the particular application of the system 300 and designconstraints of the movable inline inspection device 308. For example,the number of drive discs 312 may be selected to achieve a desiredamount of sealing engagement with the inner radial surface 304 of thepipeline 302. Accordingly, while the drive discs 312 are depicted in thefigures as having a generally circular shape, each may equally exhibitany other geometrical shape configured to restrict the flow of fluidsbetween the movable inline inspection device 308 and the pipeline 302,and nonetheless achieve substantially the same results. It will bereadily appreciated by those skilled in the art that various designmodifications and alterations to the movable inline inspection device308 may be had, without departing from the scope of the disclosure.

The system 300 may further include one or more optical computing devices314 configured to detect and determine a characteristic of the substancebeing monitored. Referring specifically to FIG. 3A, for example, the oneor more optical computing devices 314 may be seated in or otherwise forman integral part of a sensor housing 316 coupled to the movable inlineinspection device 308. In some embodiments, the sensor housing 316 maybe a radial disc attached to or otherwise extending radially from theouter radial surface of the housing 310. In other embodiments, however,the sensor housing 316 may be any other rigid member or structurecapable of receiving and securing the optical computing devices 314therein.

As illustrated, the one or more optical computing devices 314 are seatedwithin the sensor housing 316 such that they are arranged about theouter periphery of the sensor housing 316 and therefore in closeproximity to the inner radial surface 304 of the pipeline 302. As aresult, as the movable inline inspection device 308 advances through thepipeline 302, the one or more optical computing devices 314 may beconfigured to continuously monitor and/or inspect the inner radialsurface 304 of the pipeline 302 at generally every radial angle. Thoseskilled in the art will readily appreciate the advantages this mayprovide in scanning or mapping the inner radial surface 304 for chemicalcompositions or other defects.

In some embodiments, the one or more optical computing devices 314 maybe similar to the optical computing device 200 of FIG. 2, and thereforemay be best understood with reference thereto. It should be noted that,while several optical computing devices 314 are shown in FIG. 3A, thesystem 300 may employ any number of optical computing devices 314,without departing from the scope of the disclosure. Indeed, the specificnumber of optical computing devices 314 used in any given applicationmay depend primarily on design constraints of the movable inlineinspection device 308 and the relative spacing between adjacent opticalcomputing devices 314 as seated in the sensor housing 316. Moreover,each device 314 may be housed and sealed within the sensor housing 316or otherwise within individual casings configured to substantiallyprotect the internal components of the respective devices 314 fromdamage or contamination from the external environment. Accordingly, thedevices 314 may be generally protected from contaminants, pressure, andtemperature that may be experienced or otherwise encountered within thepipeline 302.

In operation, each device 314 may be configured to receive and detectoptically interacted radiation derived from a substance present withinthe pipeline 302, such as substances located on the inner radial surface304 of the pipeline 302. In at least one embodiment, the one or moreoptical computing devices 314 may be configured to provide an initialimpulse of electromagnetic radiation to the substance from anelectromagnetic radiation source (not shown). This impulse ofelectromagnetic radiation optically interacts with the substance andgenerates the optically interacted radiation that is detectable by thedevices 314. Once optically interacted radiation is detected, eachdevice 314 may be configured to generate an output signal 320 thatcorresponds to a particular characteristic of interest as detected inthe substance. In some embodiments, each optical computing device 314may be configured to detect a different characteristic of interest. Inother embodiments, each optical computing device 314 may be configuredto detect the same characteristic of interest.

In yet other embodiments, one or more sets of optical computing devices314 may be strategically arranged about the sensor housing 316 atpredetermined locations and configured to detect a particularcharacteristic of a substance, while other sets of optical computingdevices 314 may be strategically arranged about the sensor housing 316at other predetermined locations and configured to detect othercharacteristics of the substance or a characteristic of anothersubstance altogether. For instance, the pipeline 302 may be divided intoradial quadrants or other radial divisions and each radial quadrant ordivision may be monitored for specific substances found therein orlikely to be found therein. As a result, every radial angle of thepipeline 302 may be intelligently monitored using the optical computingdevices 314.

In at least one embodiment, for example, a gas bubble (e.g., methane)may be present at about the twelve o'clock position, while an oil/watermixture may be present at about the three and nine o'clock positions andwater may be present at about the six o'clock position. Accordingly, afirst set of optical computing devices 314 may be arranged to monitor afirst radial division of the inner radial surface 304 of the pipeline302 and detect a characteristic of a first substance, which may be thegas bubble or the water/oil mixture. Likewise, a second set of opticalcomputing devices 314 may be arranged to monitor a second radialdivision of the inner radial surface 304 of the pipeline 302 and detecta characteristic of a second substance, which may be the water or thewater/oil mixture. As will be appreciated, the first and secondsubstances may be the same or different, and the characteristics of eachsubstance detected by each device 314 may also be either the same ordifferent. As a result, the optical computing devices 314 may bestrategically arranged about the inner radial surface 304 atpredetermined radial angles in order to intelligently monitor thesubstance(s) found in each radial quadrant or division of the pipeline302.

Those skilled in the art will readily appreciate the several advantagesthat are provided to an operator by strategically arranging the devices314 about varying radial positions in the sensor housing 316. Forexample, this may allow the operator to chemically map every radialangle of the inner radial surface 304 of the pipeline 302 and therebyintelligently inform the operator of the real-time or near real-timeconditions found at each radial angle therein. Moreover, since themovable inline inspection device 308 is advanced through the pipeline302 during operation, this valuable information can be simultaneouslyobtained for axial sections of the entire length of the pipeline 302, orspecific portions thereof, thereby informing the operator of whichsubstances are present within each length of the pipeline 302, at whatparticular radial angle such substances are detects, and what theirrespective concentrations are.

Such information may help an operator to intelligently initiate remedialefforts designed to counteract defects in the pipeline 302 atspecifically identified points along the pipeline 302. Such informationmay further help an operator to strategically remove unwanted chemicalcompositions from the pipeline 302 and otherwise strategically maintainthe pipeline 302 in proper working order, including theremoval/replacement of damaged or affected parts or sections. Moreover,such information may help shed light on the nature of the occurrence,i.e., how the corrosion/defect occurred, such as by a dent in theoriginal pipeline 302, a flow issue, a pipe design defect or weakness,etc. As will be appreciated, the ability to chemically map the innerradial surface 308 of the pipeline 302 provides diagnostic data as towhy the pipeline 302 may be experiencing metal loss. For instance, themetal loss could be due to lack of corrosion inhibitor chemicals at oneparticular point in the pipeline 302 or it could be due to bacteriaactivity.

In some embodiments, the one or more optical computing devices 314 maybe communicably coupled to a signal processor 318, also included in thesystem 300 or otherwise forming part thereof. Each device 314 may beconfigured to convey its respective output signal 320 to the signalprocessor 318 for processing or storage. For instance, the signalprocessor 318 may be a computer including a non-transitorymachine-readable medium and configured to process the output signals andthereby provide a resulting output signal 322 indicative of the detectedcharacteristic(s) of interest. In some embodiments, the signal processor318 may be programmed with an algorithm configured to process theincoming output signals 320 and provide, for example, a chemical map ofthe pipeline 302. In other embodiments, the signal processor 318 mayinclude an on-board memory or storage device configured to store thedata received from each optical computing device 314. The stored datamay be characterized as the resulting output signal 322 and subsequentlydownloaded at a predetermined time for processing.

The signal processor 318 may be communicably coupled to one or morecommunication interfaces (not shown) and otherwise configured to conveythe resulting output signal 322, either wired or wirelessly, to anexternal processing device (not shown) for consideration by an operatoror for further processing and manipulation. In some embodiments, forexample, one communication interface may be a communication port(compatible with Ethernet, USB, etc.) defined or otherwise provided onthe housing 310 or any other portion of the movable inline inspectiondevice 308. The communication port may allow the signal processor 318 tobe coupled to an external processing device, such as a computer, a harddrive, a handheld computer, a personal digital assistant (PDA), or otherwireless transmission device. Once coupled thereto, the signal processor318 may be able to download its stored data (e.g., data related to thecharacteristic(s) of interest).

In other embodiments, the communication interface may be a wirelesstransmitter or link (not shown) arranged within the housing 310. Thesignal processor 318 may be communicably coupled to the wireless linkwhich may operate in accordance with any known wireless technology(e.g., Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, acoustic, etc.) and therefore be configured towirelessly telecommunicate with any remote wireless device such as, butnot limited to, radios, cellular telephones, PDAs, wireless networks,satellite telecommunications, and the like. Accordingly, the signalprocessor 318 may be configured to wirelessly transmit the resultingoutput signal 322 to the operator for consideration. In otherembodiments, the signal processor 318 may be configured to trigger oneor more remedial actions when a predetermined threshold of aconcentration of a particular characteristic has been breached orotherwise surpassed. Such triggering actions can include, for example,remotely opening a valve to mix batches at a preprogrammed point, addinga substance to the pipeline 302, reducing the influx of the substanceinto the pipeline 302, etc.

Referring now to FIG. 3B, with continued reference to FIG. 3A,illustrated is another embodiment of the system 300 exhibiting analternative arrangement or configuration of the optical computingdevices 314 for inspecting and monitoring the internals of a pipeline302. In some embodiments, the system 300 of FIG. 3B may include aplurality of fingers 324 extending from the housing 310 and configuredto situate the one or more optical computing devices 314 adjacent theinner radial surface 304 of the pipeline 302. Specifically, the fingers324 may provide a corresponding rigid support structure for each opticalcomputing device 314 and may thereby arrange the devices 314 such thatthey face the inner radial surface 304 for monitoring substances foundthereon.

While the fingers 324 are depicted as extending from the housing 310, ora portion thereof, the fingers 324 may equally extend from any otherportion of the movable inline inspection device 308, without departingfrom the scope of the disclosure, and obtain substantially the sameresults. Moreover, as with prior embodiments, while only five opticalcomputing devices 314 are depicted in FIG. 3B, it will be appreciatedthat any number of devices 314 with corresponding fingers 324 or rigidsupport structures may be employed.

As with the system 300 of FIG. 3A, in operation, each device 314 may beconfigured to receive and detect optically interacted radiation derivedfrom a substance present within the pipeline 302, including substancesfound on the inner radial surface of the pipeline 302. Once opticallyinteracted radiation is detected, each device 314 may be configured togenerate a corresponding output signal 320 corresponding to a particularcharacteristic of interest as detected in the substance, and convey thesame to the signal processor 318 for processing. As with priorembodiments, each optical computing device 314 may be configured todetect the same or a different characteristic of interest. In otherembodiments, the fingers 324 may be configured to arrange one or moresets of optical computing devices 314 at predetermined radial angleswithin the pipeline 302 such that the devices 314 are able to detectparticular characteristics of one or more substances at specific radialangles within the pipeline 302. Accordingly, the fingers 324 maystrategically arrange the optical computing devices 314 in order tointelligently monitor the substance(s) found at predetermined radialangles in the pipeline 302, thereby providing a user with a chemical mapof the internals of the pipeline 302 as the movable inline inspectiondevice 308 advances therein.

Referring now to FIG. 3C, with continued reference to FIGS. 3A and 3B,illustrated is another embodiment of the system 300 exhibiting analternative arrangement or configuration of the optical computingdevices 314 for inspecting and monitoring the internals of a pipeline302. Specifically, the one or more optical computing devices 314 may bearranged on or otherwise housed in one or more of the drive discs 312.In at least one embodiment, the optical computing devices 314 may bemolded into the drive discs 312 and thereby secured thereto formonitoring the inner radial surface 304 of the pipeline 302. While FIG.3C depicts the optical computing devices 314 as being arranged on twodrive discs 312, it will be appreciated that the devices 314 may bearranged on only one drive disc 312 or more than two drive discs 312,without departing from the scope of the disclosure. Those skilled in theart will readily recognize that an increased number of optical computingdevices 314 arranged on additional drive discs 312 may increase thescanning and mapping capabilities of the movable inline inspectiondevice 308, such that more substances can be monitored, morecharacteristics of interest in each substance can be detected, andhigher resolutions can be acquired.

As illustrated, the one or more optical computing devices 314 arearranged about the outer periphery of the one or more drive discs 312and therefore in close proximity to the inner radial surface 304 of thepipeline 302. As a result, as the movable inline inspection device 308advances through the pipeline 302, the one or more optical computingdevices 314 may be configured to continuously monitor and/or inspect theinner radial surface 304 of the pipeline 302 at generally every radialangle.

As with the systems 300 of FIGS. 3A and 3B, in operation, each device314 may be configured to receive and detect optically interactedradiation derived from a substance present within the pipeline 302. Onceoptically interacted radiation is detected, each device 314 may beconfigured to generate a corresponding output signal 320 correspondingto a particular characteristic of interest as detected in the substance,and convey the same to the signal processor 318 for processing. As withprior embodiments, each optical computing device 314 may be configuredto detect the same or a different characteristic of interest. In otherembodiments, one or more sets of optical computing devices 314 may bestrategically arranged about the corresponding drive disc 312 atpredetermined locations and configured to detect a particularcharacteristic of a substance at predetermined radial angles within thepipeline 302, while other sets of optical computing devices 314 may bestrategically arranged about the corresponding drive disc 312 at otherpredetermined locations and configured to detect other characteristicsof the substance or a characteristic of another substance altogether atpredetermined radial angles. Accordingly, the optical computing devices314 may be strategically arranged to intelligently monitor thesubstance(s) found at predetermined radial angles in the pipeline 302,thereby providing a user with a chemical map of the internals of thepipeline 302 as the movable inline inspection device 308 advancestherethrough.

Those skilled in the art will readily appreciate the various andnumerous applications that the systems 300 of FIGS. 3A-3C, andalternative configurations thereof, may be suitably used with. Forexample, the system 300 may be used to determine the velocity of themovable inline inspection device 308 as it travels within the pipeline302. In some embodiments, the velocity of the movable inline inspectiondevice 308 may be determined using two axially-spaced optical computingdevices 314, each being arranged on the movable inline inspection device308 at a known distance from each other. Each device 314 may beconfigured to measure or detect a known feature of the pipeline 302,such as a weld or a coupling. The output signal 320 from each device 314may correspond to a detection of the known feature of the pipeline 302,and the signal processor 318 may be configured to compute the velocityof the inline inspection device 308 by computationally combining theoutput signals 320 from each device 314, which may entail determiningthe difference between detection times of each device 314. In otherembodiments, the axially-spaced devices 314 may be configured as animaging device capable of analyzing how the image has been skewed fromframe to frame to determine the velocity.

In other embodiments, the systems 300 of FIGS. 3A-3C may be used todetect welds on the inner radial surface 304 of the pipeline 302, orpoints where lengths of pipe segments are joined together to form thepipeline 302. In at least one embodiment, one or more of the opticalcomputing devices 314 may be configured to detect a chemical compositionused in the flux employed to generate the weld in the pipeline 302. Inother embodiments, the one or more optical computing devices 314 may beconfigured to detect a known reacted substance that will typically befound around or otherwise form part of a weld. In yet other embodiments,the one or more optical computing devices 314 may be configured todetect known bacteria that has a tendency to congregate in welds. In yetfurther embodiments, the one or more optical computing devices 314 maybe configured to detect differing metal compositions in the pipeline302, which would be indicative of the presence of a weld. The detectedwelds can, for instance, be used to correlate gathered data withdrawings, etc. In at least one embodiment, by using a known length ofeach pipe segment over time, the detected welds may also be used tocalculate the velocity of the movable inline inspection device 308 fromthe logged data.

Moreover, since the optical computing devices 314 are arranged tomonitor the entire inner radial surface 304 of the pipeline 302, thesystems 300 of FIGS. 3A-3C may be employed to inspect the integrity ofthe welds in the pipeline 302. For example, in some embodiments,detection of a weld, such as through the exemplary processes describedabove, may be configured to trigger another system or mechanism adaptedto photograph or otherwise record an image of the weld. In at least oneembodiment, the recorded image may be stored in a memory associated withthe signal processor 315 and subsequently conveyed to the operator forconsideration. In one or more other embodiments, the system 300 may beprogrammed to record an image of a weld, as described above, and thenpass a predetermined number of subsequent welds before triggering thesystem or mechanism once again to record an image of a subsequent weld.As a result, an operator will be provided with a sampling inspectionreport of the welds along the length of the pipeline 302.

In some embodiments, the systems 300 of FIGS. 3A-3C may further be usedto inspect an internal coating applied to the inner radial surface 304of the pipeline 302. The internal coating may be made of, for example,polyurethane or polyvinylchloride, but may be other types of coatingsknown in the art, without departing from the scope of the disclosure. Inoperation, the one or more optical computing devices 314 may beconfigured to detect the chemical composition of the internal coating asthe movable inline inspection device 308 moves through the pipeline 302.Locations where the internal coating is not detected by the opticalcomputing devices 314 may be indicative of where the internal coatinghas been worn off, for example, or where the pipeline 302 has otherwisebeen damaged or is absent. Accordingly, the systems 300 may beconfigured to provide an operator with an internal coating map of thepipeline 302 indicating locations where the internal coating has beencompromised and, therefore, corrosion or metal loss may eventuallyresult.

In some embodiments, the systems 300 of FIGS. 3A-3C may further be usedto detect material stresses and/or dislocation in the inner radialsurface 304 of the pipeline 302. For instance, the movable inlineinspection device 308 may further include a gyro (not shown), anaccelerometer (not shown), and a distance measurement system, such asthose described herein, cooperatively configured to generate a betterpicture of the pipeline situation. A material stress measurement devicecould also be useful for other fields of inspection and monitoring.

In some embodiments, the systems 300 of FIGS. 3A-3C may further be usedto detect metal loss in the inner radial surface 304 of the pipeline302. For example, one or more of the optical computing devices may beconfigured to detect chemical compositions indicative of metal loss suchas, but not limited to, iron oxides, rust, etc. Detection of suchsubstances may correlate to the deterioration of the inner radialsurface 304 of the pipeline 302 and may indicate locations where thepipeline 302 is compromised and otherwise weakened, which couldeventually result in bursting of the pipeline 302. In otherapplications, one or more of the optical computing devices 314 may becombined with a focus mechanism (not shown), such as an auto-focusmechanism commonly found on commercially-available cameras. Adjustmentof the focal point on the auto-focus mechanism may be indicative of aloss of metal at that particular location, and the degree to which theauto-focus mechanism is altered may be indicative of the exact depth orseverity of the metal loss into the inner radial surface 304 of thepipeline 302. In such embodiments, a quadrant detector (not shown) maybe useful in determining the exact distance the metal loss has corrodedthe inner radial surface 304 of the pipeline 302. In other embodiments,however, other detectors, such as split detectors or detector arrays maybe used, without departing from the scope of the disclosure.

Referring now to FIG. 3D, with continued reference to FIGS. 3A-3C,illustrated is another embodiment of the system 300 exhibiting analternative arrangement or configuration of the optical computingdevices 314 for inspecting and monitoring the internals of a pipeline302, and especially for monitoring the fluid 306 within the pipeline302. Specifically, in at least one embodiment, one or more opticalcomputing devices 314 may be arranged or otherwise disposed on one orboth ends of the housing 310 of the movable inline inspection device308. The optical computing devices 314 arranged at the front (i.e., tothe right in FIG. 3D) may be configured to monitor the fluid 326 apreceding the movable inline inspection device 308 and the opticalcomputing devices 314 arranged at the back (i.e., to the left in FIG.3D) may be configured to monitor the fluid 326 b following the movableinline inspection device 308.

Some or all of the devices 314 arranged at either end of the movableinline inspection device 308 may be arranged within a housing 325 orsimilar casing structure configured to protect the devices 314 fromexternal contamination or damage. The housing 325 may further beconfigured to generally protect the optical computing devices 314 fromextreme pressures and/or temperatures that may be experienced orotherwise encountered within the pipeline 302.

Each of the optical computing devices 314 arranged on either end of themovable inline inspection device 308 may be configured to detect acharacteristic of the fluid 326 a,b before and after the movable inlineinspection device 308, respectively. This may prove advantageous inapplications where the fluid 306 within the pipeline 302 is a multiphasefluid, and the movable inline inspection device 308 may be used to, forexample, separate fluid phases such that the fluid 326 a before themovable inline inspection device 308 is different than the fluid 326 bbehind the movable inline inspection device 308. Moreover, the opticalcomputing devices 314 may be useful as a quality control to monitor thestate of different substances found in each fluid 326 a,b. For instance,the system 300 of FIG. 3D may be used to monitor a leak of a transportedbatch over the movable inline inspection device 308, or the saturationof a reactive substance within the fluid 306, 326 a,b. By logging suchlevels, the operator may be provided with valuable information on howeffective the operation undertaken in the pipeline 302 was.

Moreover, having optical computing devices 314 arranged at either end ofthe movable inline inspection device 308 may prove useful since thedevice 308 itself may create a distortion in measurement where thedevice 308 compresses or “piles up” the material in front of the device308, thereby creating a differential between the front and back of thedevice 308. As a result, an optical computing device 314 in just thefront or just the back may not yield a representative result. Also, ifthere is a pressure differential between the front and back, then gases(e.g., hydrocarbons) may come out of solution and a differentialmeasurement between the optical computing devices 314 arranged at eitherend could provide insight on potential bubble points, etc.

In other embodiments, the system 300 may include one or more opticalcomputing devices 314 arranged on or within a conduit 328 disposedwithin the housing 310. In at least one embodiment, the conduit 328 maybe configured to allow a bypass fluid 330 to pass through the movableinline inspection device 308, thereby fluidly communicating the fluid326 a in front of the movable inline inspection device 308 with thefluid 326 b behind the movable inline inspection device 308. The opticalcomputing devices 314 arranged on the conduit 328 may be configured tomonitor the bypass fluid 330 for one or more characteristics foundtherein.

Those skilled in the art will readily appreciate the various andnumerous applications that the system 300 of FIG. 3D, and alternativeconfigurations thereof, may be suitably used with. For example, in oneor more embodiments, the output signals 320 of any of the opticalcomputing devices 314 may be indicative of a concentration of asubstance, such as a corrosion or scale inhibitor, flowing within thefluid 306, 326 a,b, or 330. In other embodiments, the output signals 320of any of the optical computing devices 314 may be indicative of aconcentration of one or more chemicals or chemical compositions flowingwithin the fluid 306, 326 a,b, or 330. The chemical composition, forexample, may be paraffin or calcium carbonate which tend to precipitateunder certain conditions and form scale on the inner radial surface 304of the pipeline 302. In yet other embodiments, the output signals 320 ofany of the optical computing devices 314 may be indicative of othercharacteristics of the fluid 306, 326 a,b, and/or 330, such as, but notlimited to, pH, viscosity, density or specific gravity, and ionicstrength, as measured at the first and second monitoring locations,respectively.

In some embodiments, the resulting output signal 322 of the system 300of FIG. 3D may correspond to a characteristic of the fluid 306, 326 a,b,and/or 330, where the characteristic is a concentration of a reagent orresulting product present in the fluid 306, 326 a,b, and/or 330.Exemplary reagents found within the fluid 306, 326 a,b, and/or 330 mayinclude such compounds containing elements such as barium, calcium,manganese, sulfur, iron, strontium, chlorine, etc, and any otherchemical substance that can lead to precipitation within a flow path.The reagent may also refer to paraffins waxes, asphaltenes, aromatics,saturates foams, salts, particulates, sand or other solid particles,combinations thereof, and the like. In other aspects, the reagent mayinclude any substance added to the fluid 306, 326 a,b, and/or 330 inorder to cause a chemical reaction configured to treat the fluid 306,326 a,b, and/or 330 or the pipeline 302. Exemplary treatment reagentsmay include, but are not limited to, acids, acid-generating compounds,bases, base-generating compounds, biocides, surfactants, scaleinhibitors, corrosion inhibitors, gelling agents, crosslinking agents,anti-sludging agents, foaming agents, defoaming agents, antifoam agents,emulsifying agents, de-emulsifying agents, iron control agents,proppants or other particulates, gravel, particulate diverters, salts,fluid loss control additives, gases, catalysts, clay control agents,chelating agents, corrosion inhibitors, dispersants, flocculants,scavengers (e.g., H₂S scavengers, CO₂ scavengers or O₂ scavengers),lubricants, breakers, delayed release breakers, friction reducers,bridging agents, viscosifiers, weighting agents, solubilizers, rheologycontrol agents, viscosity modifiers, pH control agents (e.g., buffers),hydrate inhibitors, relative permeability modifiers, diverting agents,consolidating agents, fibrous materials, bactericides, tracers, probes,nanoparticles, and the like.

The reagent may be added to the fluid 306, 326 a,b, and/or 330 to, forexample, dissolve wax or asphaltene build-up, reduce a microbiologicalgrowth, etc. In other embodiments, the reagent may be a corrosion orscale inhibitor. In operation, the optical computing devices 314 may beconfigured to determine and report the concentration of the reagent innear or real-time, thereby ascertaining whether the reagent is workingproperly. For example, the optical computing devices 314 may beconfigured to determine when the reagent becomes fully saturated orreacted at some point, thereby indicating that the full potential of thereagent has been exhausted. In other embodiments, the optical computingdevices 314 may be configured to determine the concentration ofunreacted reagents, thereby indicating the efficacy of an operation.This may prove advantageous in being able to more accurately determinethe optimal amounts of treatment reagents to provide for a specificoperation.

In other embodiments, the resulting output signal 322 corresponds to aproduct, or the concentration thereof, that results from a chemicalreaction process between two or more reagents within the fluid 306, 326a,b, and/or 330. In some embodiments, the characteristic of interestcorresponding to the product may be indicative of, but not limited to,pH, viscosity, density or specific gravity, temperature, and ionicstrength of a chemical compound. In at least one aspect, the bypassfluid 330 may carry information related to the real-time condition ofthe fluids within the pipeline 302, including the progress of anychemical reactions occurring therein or a determination of theeffectiveness of a maintenance operation undertaken in the pipeline 302.By monitoring the chemical processes and their respective progression,the operator is able to determine how effective the maintenanceoperation within the pipeline 302 has been or whether additionalmaintenance operations should be undertaken. Additional description anddiscussion regarding optical computing devices configured to measurechemical reactions can be found in co-pending U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 13/615,882, entitled “Systems and Methods for MonitoringChemical Processes,” the contents of which are hereby incorporated byreference to the extent not inconsistent with the present disclosure.

As with the systems 300 of FIGS. 3A-3C, in operation, each device 314 inFIG. 3D may be configured to receive and detect optically interactedradiation derived from the fluids (i.e., fluids 306, 326 a,b, and/or330) in the pipeline 302. Once optically interacted radiation isdetected, each device 314 may be configured to generate a correspondingoutput signal 320 corresponding to a particular characteristic ofinterest as detected in the fluid, and convey the same to the signalprocessor 318 for processing. As with prior embodiments, each opticalcomputing device 314 may be configured to detect the same or a differentcharacteristic of interest. The resulting output signal 322 may then beprovided to the operator at a predetermined time, or otherwise asdescribed above.

Referring now to FIG. 4, with continued reference to FIGS. 3A-3D,illustrated is an exemplary schematic view of an optical computingdevice 314, according to one or more embodiments. As briefly discussedabove, in operation, each optical computing device 314 may be configuredto determine a particular characteristic of interest in a substance 402found within or otherwise present in the pipeline 302 (FIGS. 3A-3D).Again, the substance 402 may be located on the pipeline 302 itself, suchas a deposit or other defect found on an inner radial surface 304thereof, or the substance 402 may be present in the fluid 306, 326 a,b,330 (FIG. 3D) flowing within the pipeline 302.

As illustrated, the optical computing device 314 may be housed within acasing or housing 403. In some embodiments, the housing 403 may be aportion of the sensor housing 316 of FIG. 3A, the drive discs 312 ofFIG. 3C, or the housing 325 or conduit 328 of FIG. 3D. In otherembodiments, however, the housing 403 may be distinct from each of thesensor housing 316, the drive discs 312, the housing 325, and/or theconduit 328 and otherwise configured to substantially protect theinternal components of the device 314 from damage or contamination fromthe substance 402 or other external contaminants.

In one or more embodiments, the device 314 may include anelectromagnetic radiation source 404 configured to emit or otherwisegenerate electromagnetic radiation 406. The electromagnetic radiationsource 404 may be any device capable of emitting or generatingelectromagnetic radiation, as defined herein. For example, theelectromagnetic radiation source 404 may be a light bulb, a lightemitting diode (LED), a laser, a blackbody, a photonic crystal, an X-Raysource, combinations thereof, or the like. In some embodiments, a lens408 may be configured to collect or otherwise receive theelectromagnetic radiation 406 and direct a beam 410 of electromagneticradiation 406 toward a location for detecting the substance 402. Thelens 408 may be any type of optical device configured to transmit orotherwise convey the electromagnetic radiation 406 as desired. Forexample, the lens 408 may be a normal lens, a Fresnel lens, adiffractive optical element, a holographic graphical element, a mirror(e.g., a focusing mirror), a type of collimator, or any otherelectromagnetic radiation transmitting device known to those skilled inart. In other embodiments, the lens 408 may be omitted from the device314 and the electromagnetic radiation 406 may instead be directed towardthe substance 402 directly from the electromagnetic radiation source404.

In one or more embodiments, the device 314 may also include a samplingwindow 412. The sampling window 412 may provide a transmission locationfor the beam 410 of electromagnetic radiation 406 to optically interactwith the substance 402. The sampling window 412 may be made from avariety of transparent, rigid or semi-rigid materials that areconfigured to allow transmission of the electromagnetic radiation 406therethrough. For example, the sampling window 412 may be made of, butis not limited to, glasses, plastics, semi-conductors, crystallinematerials, polycrystalline materials, hot or cold-pressed powders,combinations thereof, or the like. In order to remove ghosting or otherimaging issues resulting from reflectance on the sampling window 412,the system 300 may employ one or more internal reflectance elements(IRE), such as those described in co-owned U.S. Pat. No. 7,697,141,and/or one or more imaging systems, such as those described in co-ownedU.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/456,467, the contents of each herebybeing incorporated by reference.

After passing through the sampling window 412, the electromagneticradiation 406 impinges upon and optically interacts with the substance402. As a result, optically interacted radiation 414 is generated by andreflected from the substance 402. Those skilled in the art, however,will readily recognize that alternative variations of the device 314 mayallow the optically interacted radiation 414 to be generated by beingtransmitted, scattered, diffracted, absorbed, emitted, or re-radiated byand/or from the substance 402, without departing from the scope of thedisclosure.

The optically interacted radiation 414 generated by the interaction withthe substance 402 may be directed to or otherwise be received by an ICE416 arranged within the device 314. The ICE 416 may be a spectralcomponent substantially similar to the ICE 100 described above withreference to FIG. 1. Accordingly, in operation the ICE 416 may beconfigured to receive the optically interacted radiation 414 and producemodified electromagnetic radiation 418 corresponding to a particularcharacteristic of interest of the substance 402. In particular, themodified electromagnetic radiation 418 is electromagnetic radiation thathas optically interacted with the ICE 416, whereby an approximatemimicking of the regression vector corresponding to the characteristicof interest in the substance 402 is obtained.

It should be noted that, while FIG. 4 depicts the ICE 416 as receivingreflected electromagnetic radiation from the substance 402, the ICE 416may be arranged at any point along the optical train of the device 314,without departing from the scope of the disclosure. For example, in oneor more embodiments, the ICE 416 (as shown in dashed) may be arrangedwithin the optical train prior to the sampling window 412 and equallyobtain substantially the same results. In other embodiments, thesampling window 412 may serve a dual purpose as both a transmissionwindow and the ICE 416 (i.e., a spectral component). In yet otherembodiments, the ICE 416 may generate the modified electromagneticradiation 418 through reflection, instead of transmission therethrough.

Moreover, while only one ICE 416 is shown in the device 314, embodimentsare contemplated herein which include the use of two or more ICEcomponents in the device 314, each being configured to cooperativelydetermine the characteristic of interest in the substance 402. Forexample, two or more ICE components may be arranged in series orparallel within the device 314 and configured to receive the opticallyinteracted radiation 414 and thereby enhance sensitivities and detectorlimits of the device 314. In other embodiments, two or more ICEcomponents may be arranged on a movable assembly, such as a rotatingdisc or an oscillating linear array, which moves such that theindividual ICE components are able to be exposed to or otherwiseoptically interact with electromagnetic radiation for a distinct briefperiod of time. The two or more ICE components in any of theseembodiments may be configured to be either associated or disassociatedwith the characteristic of interest of the substance 402. In otherembodiments, the two or more ICE components may be configured to bepositively or negatively correlated with the characteristic of interestof the sample. These optional embodiments employing two or more ICEcomponents are further described in co-pending U.S. patent applicationSer. Nos. 13/456,264, 13/456,405, 13/456,302, and 13/456,327, thecontents of which are hereby incorporated by reference in theirentireties.

The modified electromagnetic radiation 418 generated by the ICE 416 maysubsequently be conveyed to a detector 420 for quantification of thesignal. The detector 420 may be any device capable of detectingelectromagnetic radiation, and may be generally characterized as anoptical transducer. In some embodiments, the detector 420 may be, but isnot limited to, a thermal detector such as a thermopile or photoacousticdetector, a semiconductor detector, a piezoelectric detector, a chargecoupled device (CCD) detector, a video or array detector, a splitdetector, a photon detector (such as a photomultiplier tube),photodiodes, combinations thereof, or the like, or other detectors knownto those skilled in the art.

In some embodiments, the detector 420 may be configured to produce theoutput signal 320 in real-time or near real-time in the form of avoltage (or current) that corresponds to the particular characteristicof interest in the substance 402. The voltage returned by the detector420 is essentially the dot product of the optical interaction of theoptically interacted radiation 414 with the respective ICE 416 as afunction of the concentration of the characteristic of interest of thesubstance 402. As such, the output signal 320 produced by the detector420 and the concentration of the characteristic of interest in thesubstance 402 may be related, for example, directly proportional. Inother embodiments, however, the relationship may correspond to apolynomial function, an exponential function, a logarithmic function,and/or a combination thereof.

In some embodiments, the device 314 may include a second detector 424,which may be similar to the first detector 420 in that it may be anydevice capable of detecting electromagnetic radiation. Similar to thesecond detector 216 of FIG. 2, the second detector 424 of FIG. 4 may beused to detect radiating deviations stemming from the electromagneticradiation source 404. Undesirable radiating deviations can occur in theintensity of the electromagnetic radiation 406 due to a wide variety ofreasons and potentially causing various negative effects on the device314. These negative effects can be particularly detrimental formeasurements taken over a period of time. In some embodiments, radiatingdeviations can occur as a result of a build-up of film or material onthe sampling window 412 which has the effect of reducing the amount andquality of light ultimately reaching the first detector 420. Withoutproper compensation, such radiating deviations could result in falsereadings and the output signal 320 would no longer be primarily oraccurately related to the characteristic of interest.

To compensate for these types of undesirable effects, the seconddetector 424 may be configured to generate a compensating signal 426generally indicative of the radiating deviations of the electromagneticradiation source 404, and thereby normalize the output signal 320generated by the first detector 420. As illustrated, the second detector424 may be configured to receive a portion of the optically interactedradiation 414 via a beamsplitter 428 in order to detect the radiatingdeviations. In other embodiments, however, the second detector 424 maybe arranged to receive electromagnetic radiation from any portion of theoptical train in the device 314 in order to detect the radiatingdeviations, without departing from the scope of the disclosure.

As illustrated, the output signal 320 and the compensating signal 426may be conveyed to or otherwise received by the signal processor 318communicably coupled to both the detectors 420, 424. In one or moreembodiments, the signal processor 318 may be configured tocomputationally combine the compensating signal 426 with the outputsignal 320 in order to normalize the output signal 320 in view of anyradiating deviations detected by the second detector 424. In someembodiments, computationally combining the output and compensatingsignals 320, 426 may entail computing a ratio of the two signals 320,426. For example, the concentration or magnitude of each characteristicof interest determined using the optical computing device 314 can be fedinto an algorithm run by the signal processor 318. The algorithm may beconfigured to make predictions on how the characteristics of thesubstance 402 change if the concentration of the measured characteristicof interest changes.

In real-time or near real-time, the signal processor 318 may beconfigured to provide the resulting output signal 322 corresponding tothe characteristic of interest in the substance 402. As brieflydiscussed above, the resulting signal output signal 322 may be conveyed,either wired or wirelessly, to an operator for analysis andconsideration. In other embodiments, the resulting output signal 322 maybe indicative of downloadable data configured to be downloaded to anexternal processing device at an appropriate time, such as when themobile inline inspection device 308 is removed from the pipeline 302.

Therefore, the present invention is well adapted to attain the ends andadvantages mentioned as well as those that are inherent therein. Theparticular embodiments disclosed above are illustrative only, as thepresent invention may be modified and practiced in different butequivalent manners apparent to those skilled in the art having thebenefit of the teachings herein. Furthermore, no limitations areintended to the details of construction or design herein shown, otherthan as described in the claims below. It is therefore evident that theparticular illustrative embodiments disclosed above may be altered,combined, or modified and all such variations are considered within thescope and spirit of the present invention. The invention illustrativelydisclosed herein suitably may be practiced in the absence of any elementthat is not specifically disclosed herein and/or any optional elementdisclosed herein. While compositions and methods are described in termsof “comprising,” “containing,” or “including” various components orsteps, the compositions and methods can also “consist essentially of” or“consist of” the various components and steps. All numbers and rangesdisclosed above may vary by some amount. Whenever a numerical range witha lower limit and an upper limit is disclosed, any number and anyincluded range falling within the range is specifically disclosed. Inparticular, every range of values (of the form, “from about a to aboutb,” or, equivalently, “from approximately a to b,” or, equivalently,“from approximately a-b”) disclosed herein is to be understood to setforth every number and range encompassed within the broader range ofvalues. Also, the terms in the claims have their plain, ordinary meaningunless otherwise explicitly and clearly defined by the patentee.Moreover, the indefinite articles “a” or “an,” as used in the claims,are defined herein to mean one or more than one of the element that itintroduces. If there is any conflict in the usages of a word or term inthis specification and one or more patent or other documents that may beincorporated herein by reference, the definitions that are consistentwith this specification should be adopted.

The invention claimed is:
 1. A method of monitoring a pipeline,comprising: introducing a movable inline inspection device into thepipeline, the movable inline inspection device having a housing thatdefines a conduit therein which provides fluid communication through themovable inline inspection device in the form of a bypass fluid, theconduit having one or more optical computing devices arranged thereonfor monitoring the bypass fluid, wherein each optical computing devicehas at least one integrated computational element arranged therein;generating an output signal corresponding to a characteristic of thebypass fluid with at least one detector arranged within each opticalcomputing device; receiving the output signal from each opticalcomputing device with a signal processor communicably coupled to the atleast one detector of each optical computing device; and determiningwith the signal processor the characteristic of the bypass fluiddetected by each optical computing device.
 2. The method of claim 1,wherein generating the output signal corresponding to the characteristicof the bypass fluid further comprises: optically interactingelectromagnetic radiation radiated from the bypass fluid flowing throughthe conduit with the at least one integrated computational element ofeach optical computing device; generating optically interacted lightfrom the at least one integrated computational element of each opticalcomputing device; and receiving with the at least one detector of eachoptical computing device the optically interacted light from thecorresponding at least one integrated computational element.
 3. Themethod of claim 1, further comprising: emitting electromagneticradiation from an electromagnetic radiation source arranged in eachoptical computing device; optically interacting the electromagneticradiation from each optical computing device with the bypass fluid; andgenerating optically interacted radiation to be detected by the at leastone detector in each optical computing device.
 4. The method of claim 3,wherein the at least one detector in each optical computing device is afirst detector, the method further comprising: receiving and detectingwith a second detector arranged in each optical computing device atleast a portion of the electromagnetic radiation; generating with eachsecond detector a compensating signal indicative of radiating deviationsof the corresponding electromagnetic radiation source; computationallycombining the output signal and the compensating signal of each opticalcomputing device with the signal processor communicably coupled to thefirst and second detectors of each optical computing device; andnormalizing the output signal of each optical computing device.
 5. Themethod of claim 1, further comprising providing with the signalprocessor a resulting output signal indicative of the characteristic ofthe bypass fluid.
 6. The method of claim 1, wherein generating theoutput signal corresponding to the characteristic of the bypass fluidfurther comprises determining a concentration of a substance in thebypass fluid.
 7. The method of claim 6, wherein the substance comprisesa substance selected from the group consisting of barium, calcium,manganese, sulfur, sulfates iron, strontium, chlorine, paraffins, waxes,asphaltenes, aromatics, saturates foams, salts, dissolved mineral salts,particulates, sand, any combination thereof, and any derivativesthereof.
 8. The method of claim 1, wherein generating the output signalcorresponding to the characteristic of the bypass fluid furthercomprises determining a concentration of one or more reagents in thebypass fluid.
 9. The method of claim 8, wherein the one or more reagentscomprise a compound containing a substance selected from the groupconsisting of barium, calcium, manganese, sulfur, iron, strontium, andchlorine.
 10. The method of claim 8, wherein the one or more reagentscomprise a substance selected from the group consisting of paraffins,waxes, asphaltenes, aromatics, saturates, foams, and salts.
 11. Themethod of claim 8, wherein the one or more reagents comprise a treatmentreagent selected from the group consisting of acids, acid-generatingcompounds, bases, base-generating compounds, biocides, surfactants,scale inhibitors, corrosion inhibitors, gelling agents, crosslinkingagents, anti-sludging agents, foaming agents, defoaming agents, antifoamagents, emulsifying agents, de-emulsifying agents, iron control agents,proppants or other particulates, gravel, particulate diverters, salts,fluid loss control additives, gases, catalysts, clay control agents,chelating agents, corrosion inhibitors, dispersants, flocculants,scavengers, lubricants, breakers, delayed release breakers, frictionreducers, bridging agents, viscosifiers, weighting agents, solubilizers,rheology control agents, viscosity modifiers, pH control agents, hydrateinhibitors, relative permeability modifiers, diverting agents,consolidating agents, fibrous materials, bactericides, tracers, probes,and nanoparticles.
 12. The method of claim 1, wherein generating theoutput signal corresponding to the characteristic of the bypass fluidfurther comprises determining a concentration of a product resultingfrom a chemical reaction occurring in the bypass fluid.
 13. A method,comprising: introducing a movable inline inspection device into apipeline, the movable inline inspection device having a housing, aconduit defined within the housing to allow fluid communication throughthe housing, and one more optical computing devices arranged on theconduit, wherein each optical computing device includes at least oneintegrated computational element; flowing a bypass fluid through theconduit, wherein the one or more optical computing devices are inoptical communication with the bypass fluid; monitoring the bypass fluidwith the one or more optical computing devices; generating an outputsignal corresponding to a characteristic of the bypass fluid with atleast one detector; receiving the output signal from each opticalcomputing device with a signal processor communicably coupled to the atleast one detector; and determining with the signal processor thecharacteristic of the bypass fluid detected by each optical computingdevice.
 14. The method of claim 13, wherein flowing the bypass fluidthrough the conduit further comprises flowing a multiphase bypass fluidthrough the conduit.
 15. The method of claim 13, wherein generating theoutput signal corresponding to the characteristic of the bypass fluidfurther comprises: optically interacting electromagnetic radiationradiated from the bypass fluid flowing through the conduit with the atleast one integrated computational element of each optical computingdevice; generating optically interacted light from the at least oneintegrated computational element of each optical computing device; andreceiving with the at least one detector of each optical computingdevice the optically interacted light from the corresponding at leastone integrated computational element.
 16. The method of claim 13,further comprising: emitting electromagnetic radiation from anelectromagnetic radiation source arranged in each optical computingdevice; optically interacting the electromagnetic radiation from eachoptical computing device with the bypass fluid; and generating opticallyinteracted radiation to be detected by the at least one detector in eachoptical computing device.
 17. The method of claim 13, further comprisingproviding with the signal processor a resulting output signal indicativeof the characteristic of the bypass fluid.
 18. The method of claim 13,wherein generating the output signal corresponding to the characteristicof the bypass fluid further comprises determining a concentration of asubstance in the bypass fluid, the substance being selected from thegroup consisting of barium, calcium, manganese, sulfur, sulfates iron,strontium, chlorine, paraffins, waxes, asphaltenes, aromatics, saturatesfoams, salts, dissolved mineral salts, particulates, sand, anycombination thereof, and any derivatives thereof.
 19. The method ofclaim 13, wherein generating the output signal corresponding to thecharacteristic of the bypass fluid further comprises determining aconcentration of one or more reagents in the bypass fluid.
 20. Themethod of claim 13, wherein generating the output signal correspondingto the characteristic of the bypass fluid further comprises determininga concentration of a product resulting from a chemical reactionoccurring in the bypass fluid.